Fall 2022
PID Controlled Butter Pushing Linkage
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In the fall of my senior year, I worked on a button pushing linkage for my Machine Design class. On the “playing field” are several colored buttons that light up one after another, and the linkage must be able to move between the positions and press the button pairs as fast as possible.
We designed the linkage in Solidworks, and then machined all necessary parts out of aluminum using the CNC mill, drill press, and arbor press.
Final Assembly
Close Up View
The linkage was moved using a motor with an encoder which can read the axle position. By reading the position and feeding it into an Arduino program, we were able to implement a finely tuned PID control system to accurately move the linkage to the right position every time.
Along the way, I became familiar with working with thrust bearings as well as shoulder bolts paired with oil embedded sleeve bearings. I also became more comfortable machining and working with tolerances to make sure parts have the right fit.
Watch a video of the mechanism in action here: Link
Button Pushing Demo Video